Editorial

Tell us more about the Sandals Project!

On the heels of the mid-year budget review, as the discussion continued in Parliament yesterday, word from the office of the Prime Minister came in that the Sandals Resorts Tobago project was moving ahead. Not only were timelines agreed upon by Government and the Resort’s owners, but they both believe it should be a priority project.

Now, an attractive resort such as Sandals is not a bad thing for Tobago. In fact, it is one that will hopefully open the eyes of foreigners again by the provision of high quality rooms. We’re hopeful that this will revive the island’s tourism revenues, and along with a new airport terminal, they’re regarded as bold moves to push us forward.

The terms of the project and its location are what have raised eyebrows, and it is imperative that the Government clarifies what is being offered to the owners, to ensure there is absolute transparency.

We understand that they agreed on timelines and milestones for Sandals Tobago, though these were not specified. The Prime Minister should make this information public as a matter of urgency, to keep citizens in the loop on such a grand matter.

The rumour about the resort taking part of the beautiful “No Man’s Land” is also something citizens are taking note of, until a final word is given.

Our tourism numbers have not done well recently, and compared to our Caribbean neighbours, neither Trinidad nor Tobago have been in any satisfactory visitor arrival rankings.

We’re glad that actual moves are being made to do something about it, and hopefully the Tobago Tourism Agency, which has been tasked to advance the sector, can make things happen.

Sure, the Finance Minister has painted a rosy picture of our present economy and what he expects in the near future, following his mid-year budget review. But there are many critical parts of this country that need a significant boost or retooling.

The tourism sector is one of those and hopefully, aside from the Sandals project, we will see implementation of other grand ideas that can make T&T great again.